John Proctor's Role In The Crucible

Reverend Parris
At first the authority figures in Salem believe the accusations of witchcraft He is the local clergyman of Salem and the father of Betty, who is unconscious at the beginning of the play. He has discovered the girls dancing in the forest with Tituba. From the beginning of the play he is paranoid about having enemies. He is the most dislikable character in the play. Although an adult and a clergyman, he seems to be more worried about his own reputation than about the well-being of the children and of the townspeople. His self-centredness is also evident when he shows how concerned he is about his income and how little he is paid, and this is at a time when he should be concerned about his daughter and his…show more content…
He will not allow him just any loophole. Danforth is presented as a stern, inflexible, authority figure. But he is broadly sincere in what he believes.
John Proctor
Many of the townspeople are powerless to defend themselves against the accusations of witchcraft He is a local farmer and the strongest character in the play - he is its tragic hero. He is an impatient man, a sort of working class hero who cannot stand hypocrisy and pretence, especially in the influential people in the town's community. He recognises the bad motives of many of those who are involved in the witchcraft allegations. He has had an affair with the young servant girl in his household, Abigail Williams. Tragic heroes usually have a single weakness that destroys their otherwise strong characters. Proctor's weakness is lust. He loves his wife but he has a passionate nature and she is a somewhat cold woman. Because of his affair, he is also guilty of a certain amount of hypocrisy. But he is aware of it and condemns himself for it. His motive for keeping the affair hidden from neighbours is mainly to protect his wife rather than…show more content…
Rebecca Nurse Francis Nurse's wife. Rebecca is a wise, sensible, and upright woman. She is highly regarded by most of the townspeople. The Putnams accuse her of witchcraft, an example of the extent to which base motives like envy and enmity are tangled up with the witch hunt. She refuses to confess and goes to her death.
Giles Corey He is an elderly farmer in Salem, notorious for taking legal action against neighbours. He is another example of how people use the witchcraft scare to settle old enmities. His wife, Martha, is accused by Walcott of bewitching his pigs, and he himself is eventually held in contempt of court and pressed to death with large stones.
Tituba She is a black slave in the Parris household. In the forest, she shows the girls some of the magic and dancing that she knew from her West Indian (Barbados) background. But she is not portrayed as someone who consciously misled the children. It is Abigail Williams who has persuaded Tituba to do this. Tituba is portrayed as a poor slave who is threatened and frightened by both the adults and by Abigail and does whatever they want her